Locking device for bags, trunks, and the like



Feb. 23, 1954 LOCKING DEVICE FOR BAGS, TRUNKS, AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 6, 1950 2 a Z6 /2 w) J I 6/ 32 J 7 J" INVENTOR lf oz Fae/m fem/av Patented Feb. 23, 1954 LOCKIN G DEVICE FOR BAGS, TRUNKS, AND THE LIKE Wolfgang Ramien, Neckargemund, Germany Application September 6, 1950, Serial No. 183,327

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to locking means and is particularly directed to a locking device of novel construction for brief cases, travelling bags and the like.

The locking devices used hitherto on brief cases, travelling bags, tourists bags, hand-bags, purchasing bags, photo-bags, money-bags and the like are usually locked by means of a slide operated by a finger and a slotted pin or per iorated metal strip.

Contrary to this the locking device disclosed in the present invention has the following advantages: The device can be produced by means of the die-casting method. It has a modern, smooth and compact form. It may be provided on its outside with various kinds of decorations. The compact form protects the interior against rain. The closing pressure increases at the same rate as the pull between the closure flap and bag increases. The non-projecting arrangement of the pressure member or latch prevents self-opening through impact. Through pressure exerted by a finger upon a broad and easily operatable pressure member the keeper is automatically expelled from its locked-up position, so that operation by only one hand is possible without difficulty.

The invention further includes a safety lock for the locking device provided with a plurality of spring-pressed notched bars. The notches in the bars are all of uniform size and formation, and each of the bars has one of the notches arranged in it transversely to its long-side. In order to unlock the lock the bars are forcibly shifted against the pressure of their springs in such a way with respect to each other that all of the notches are forming a common groove for the rib-like projection of a rotatable pressure member of the locking device to engage in. In order to relock the lock the bars are released and, as a consequence thereof, returned by their springs to their former positions in which the notches of the bars are no longer forming a common groove underneath the riblike projection of the pressure member, but in which the space beneath that rib-like projection is taken up by the shafts of the bars, so that downward movement of the pressure member and unlocking of the lock is reliably blocked. Unlocking of the lock is effected by means of a key, which after its insertion into the lock remains attached thereto.

The safety lock differs from known locks essentially in the feature that owing to the use of the notched bars the unlocking as well as the ill) locking action consist exclusively in short shifting movements of the key, whereby an indefinite number of spring-pressed notched bars are actuated for use as blocking members, which through varying arrangement with respect to one another and through varying positioning of the notches in the bars permit an unlimited number of key permutations. For unlocking the lock the key is simply inserted into the lock and then remains attached to the latter, whereby the key is secured in its position against loss by a slide. For locking the lock the key has merely to be extracted from the look after the slide has been pushed back.

The lock may be used on brief cases, bags, trunks, boxes, cup-boards, cabinets, drawers, doors etc.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be understood from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application and in which I have illustrated by way of example a preferred embodiment of the invention as used on brief cases and trunks i and produced through die-casting. However, it

is to be understood that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be changed or modified, so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appending claims.

In the drawings in which like and corresponding parts are referred to by the same reference numerals in all of the several figures:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the locking device seen from below, with the casing for the notched bars removed;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line II-II of Fig. 1, also showing the casing for the notched bars;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional detail view on line III-III of Fig. 2,. showing how the notched bars are displaced by the projections of the key;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the lower side of the lower part of the locking device, showing the openings for the insertion of the key;

Figs. 5 and 5a. are side and front views of the notched bars;

Figs. 6 and 6a are detail views of the partition covering up the casing for the notched bars;

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of the locking device attached to a brief case.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the reference numeral l denotes the upper part of the locking device, which is fastened to the closure flap 4 of the bag I and provided with a keeper 2 of rectangular cross-section, having a recess 3 arranged in its front wall and being at its forward end of rounded formation. For locking the device the keeper 2 is pushed into a slot 5 provided in the upper end of the lower part 6 of the locking device which is secured to the front wall of the bag 1. The cross-section of the keeper 2 corresponds almost exactly to that of the slot 5, so that through snug guidance of the keeper in the slot a tight position of the keeper in the lower part of the locking device is reliably guaranteed. Disposed in a recess 8 of the lower part is of the locking device is a pressure or looking member or latch 9 provided with a nose-like projection It adapted for engagement in the recess 3 of the keeper 2. The looking member Q is rotatably mounted on the shaft II and provided with a helical spring 12 for maintaining the locking member in tensioned position and for securing the nose It in looking engagement in the recess 3. The shaft H is positioned below the plane in which the pull is exerted by the keeper 2, so that the closing pressure increases at the same rate as the pull at the closure flap increases.

By arranging the locking member 9 in the lower part 6 of the locking device in such a way that its upper surface is positioned in the same plane as the upper surface of the lower part 5, and by securing the upper part I to the lower part b in such a manner that it is forming an uninterrupted extension of the latter, a smooth and compact looking device has been produced, which may not only be of rectangular shape, as shown in the drawings, but also of circular, oval, trapezoidal or any other suitable form and be provided with decorations, engravings, monograms and the like.

The safety lock arranged in the lower part 6 of the locking device at the lower end thereof consists of a casing 53, housing in separate chambers l5, covered up by a partition M, a plurality of notched and spring-pressed bars to adapted for use as looking bars. 'The bars it are of angular cross-section and uniform length and provided, each of them at a different place, with notches i! of uniform size and cross-section. The notches I? serve, when the locking device is to be unlocked,

for the reception of the rib like projection it of the rotatable locking member s, so that when the rotatable locking member 5 is in looking position, pressure exerted upon the locking member can rotate it against the pressure of its tensioning spring it into opening position only when the notches ii are forming in combination a straightlined common groove in which the rib-like projection 18 of the locking member can engage without diiiiculty. The straight-lined adjustment of the notches is accomplished by means of a key l9, which, when inserted into the lower part 6, is forming a ledge-like extension of that lower part, and which is provided with a plurality f key-projections 22] corresponding in number to the number of the notched bars i6, whereby the length of each of the key-projections is so dimensioned that each of the notched bars is thereby displaced to such an extent that the accurate alinement of the notches for the reception of the rib-like projection it is thereby obtained. After the key it has been inserted into the lower part 6 it is retained therein by means of the holding pins 26, which are rigidly connected to the key l9 and which are secured in this holding positionwith the aid of the spring-pressed bolts '22.-

Hence, simple insertion of the key into the part '6 unlocks the locking mechanism and attaches the key to the device, so that after insertion of the key the device can be opened and closed unobstructed by the notched bars of the safety look. When the locking mechanism is to be locked up again by the notched bars of the safety lock, energetic pulling at the key It will force the bolts 22 backward against the pressure of their'springs and thus liberate the holding pins 2| of the key from their locked-up position behind the bolts 22, whereupon the underlying spring-pressed notched bars It, which are separated from the bolts 22 by the partition it, are automatically returned by their springs to their position of rest in which they are bearing against the lower wall of the lower part B of the locking device, whereby the lower wall of the lower part 6 simultaneously serves as lower wall of the casing l3 for the notched bars it. The straight-lined arrangement of the notches H has thus been upset and the groove-like channel formerly formed by the notches IT for the rib-like projection 18 of the locking member 9 to engage in is now filled up by the shafts of the notched bars i, so that the rotatable locking member 9 can not move downward when pressure is brought to bear on it, which means that through simple extraction of the key is the locking device has been locked. Through varying arrangement of the notched bars with respect to one another, through varified positioning of the notches in the bars, and through corresponding dimensioning of the length of the keyprojections 20 it is possible to produce an unlimited number of different safety locks in such a way that each of them can be unlocked only by its appertaining key l9.

The key has been termed a fixed or stationary key as it has to remain firmly attached to the locking device practically all of the time when the bag is being used. The advantage of this is that it is always present and can be extracted from the device at any time in an unsuspicious way if for some reason or other the device has to be locked, so that the danger of losing the key is limited to the time when the device has been locked and the key is not attached to the device. This, however, is ordinarily only a fraction of the time during which the unlocked device is merely used as a closing means for the bag.

In order to safeguard the key against unintended or unauthorized extraction the invention provides the safety lock with a slide 23 adapted to block the bolts 22 against backward pressing by the pins 2|, so that the key It can not be pulled off. Access to the slide 23 can be gained only after the rotatable locking member 9 has been pushed down, whereupon the slide 23 can easily be shifted by a finger-nail of the operator from its lateral position to its central position and vice versa. The slide 23 is of U-shaped formation and has been bent from a sheet-metal strip. It is arranged in the casing 26 in such a way that the wall 2d of the casing 25 serves as a slide-bar for the slide and for that purpose is provided with the stops 2t limiting the forward and backward movement of the slide. The casing 23 is rigidly secured to the lower part 6 of the locking device and also serves as a housing for a curved and cranked leaf spring 2?. When the slide 23 is shifted from its lateral position illustrated in Fig. 1 to its central position, the leaf spring 2'! is displaced by the side of the slide which is hearing against it in the direction towardthe bolts 22 with the result that the cranked portions of the leaf spring are forced into the space between the projections 28 of the bolts 22 and thus act as a bar against the backward movement of the bolts 22. In order to insure the easy and unobstructed performance of this blocking action the cranked leaf spring H has been covered up on its back by a smooth leaf spring 29 which is snugly resting against the cranked leaf spring 21. Into the gaps thus produced between the cranked portions of the leaf spring 21 and the smooth leaf spring 29 metal members 30 have been inserted, which accurately fill up the gaps and thereby contribute to stabilize the construction. In addition to this the space between the two cranked portions has been filled up by a metal member 3| which is rigidly secured to the bottom of the casing 26. In this way a positive blocking mechanism for the bolts 22 has been created which reliably prevents that the key l9 can be pulled off.

Summing up it can be said that in the embodiment illustrated in the drawings simple extraction of the key l9 locks the locking device by the intermediary of a plurality of notched bars I6, which permit the production of an unlimited number of diiferent keys :9, and that simple insertion of the key [9 unlocks the locking device, whereby concealed safeguarding means are provided which prevent the loss of the key I 9 as long as it remains inserted in the lower part 6 of the look ing device, which insertion is a necessity for and g,

a characteristic feature of this type of a safety look when the latter is in unlocked condition.

This safety lock permits a variety of diiferent forms of constructions, as well as the application to numerous other locks, without departure from i the nature of the invention.

When pressure is exerted upon the rotatable locking member 9 the keeper 2 is expelled from the slot 5 by a bow-like leaf spring 32, which is arranged in the lower part 5 of the locking device between the slot 5 and the shaft II. In Fig. l of the drawings the leaf spring 32 has been shown in tensioned and untensioned position.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a. lock, a flat casing having a keeper receiving slot in one end portion, an opening in the other end portion, and an opening in the front portion thereof, a latch member carrying at one end an inwardly directed hook and at its other 5 end an inwardly directed rib mounted in said front opening for tilting movement about an intermediate axis, a spring reacting against said latch member to urge its hook bearing end inward toward the slot, locking means mounted in the lower part of the other end portion of said casing and having a biased position in which elements are disposed underneath said rib to prevent rotation of the latch member, and a key insertable into the opening in the other end portion and including lower parts operative to move said looking means from its biased position to a position in which said elements are moved from beneath said rib and upper parts cooperative with biased means mounted above said locking means in said casing to hold said key inserted.

2. A locking device for bags, trunks and the like, comprising a body member adapted to be secured to a bag and having a slot for receiving a keeper secured to the closure portion of the bag, a latch bolt pivotally mounted in said body member and adapted to engage said keeper, a, spring connected with said latch bolt and body member for biasing said latch bolt to keeper-engaging position, a plurality of tumblers in said body member having gatings, a fence carried by said latch bolt and adapted to fit into said gatings when said gatings are alined therewith, said tumblers being in the path of said fence when said latch bolt is in the keeper-engaging position, a key connected with said body member and having projections engaging said tumblers and maintaining said tumblers in positions in which said gatings are alined, a holding pin carried by said key, a bolt located in said body member and gripping said holding pin to hold said key to said body member, and a spring pressing said bolt.

3. A locking device for bags, trunks and the like, comprising a body member adapted to be secured to a bag, and having a slot for receiving a keeper secured to the closure portion of the bag, a shaft carried by said body member, a latch bolt rotatably mounted on said shaft, a tensioning spring engaging said latch bolt and biasing said latch bolt into a keeper-engaging position, a leaf spring located between said shaft and said slot and adapted to press against the keeper and to expel the keeper from said slot when said latch bolt is moved into an unlocked position, a fence carried by said latch bolt and a plurality of tumblers in said body member having gatings, said tumblers normally being in the path of movement of said fence when said latch bolt is in the keeper-engaging position to block movement thereof, said fence being adapted to fit into said gatings when said gatings are alined therewith by the shifting of said tumblers by a key so as to allow movement of said latch bolt to unlocked position.

4. A locking device for bags, trunks and the like, comprising a body member adapted to be secured to a bag and having a slot for receiving a keeper secured to the closure portion of the bag, a latch bolt pivotally mounted in said body member and adapted to engage said keeper, a spring connected with said latch bolt and body member for biasing said latch bolt to keeper-engaging position, a plurality of tumblers in said body member having gatings, a fence carried by said latch bolt and adapted to fit into said gatings when said gatings are alined therewith, said tumblers being in the path of said fence when said latch bolt is in the keeper-engaging position, a key connected with said body member and having projections engaging said tumblers and maintaining said tumblers in positions in which said gatings are alined, a holding pin carried by said key, a bolt located in said body member and gripping said holding pin to hold said key to said body member, a spring pressing said bolt, and a slide movable in said body member to block movement of the bolt from holding pin gripping position.

WOLFGANG- RAMIEN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 294,778 Ford et a1 Mar. 11, 1884 481,889 Blaney Aug. 30, 18 2 750,739 Weber Jan. 26, 1904 872,775 Weber Dec. 3, 1907 955,856 Dittmar Apr. 26, 1910 2,161,519 Liftin et al. June 6, 1939 2,311,298 Marsh Feb. 16 1943 2,399,302 Thlele Apr. 30, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 597,736 France Nov. 27, 1925 

